Tractors and other material-handling vehicles were originally used primarily in construction, farming, and industry, but in recent years, they have become available in more compact configurations, making them affordable and useful for homeowners working on do-it-yourself landscaping projects and the like. Among the most popular configurations of these compact and sub-compact material-handling vehicles are front-engine lawn tractors and rear-engine riding mowers. Lawn tractors are generally more powerful than riding mowers and are often used for towing or fitted with front buckets for plowing and earth-moving, while riding mowers are lighter in weight and less versatile, but convenient for use on smaller properties.
One drawback of these smaller-sized tractors and mowers is that they lack space for carrying tools and other supplies. Some attempts have been made to provide tool tool-carrying assemblies in the forms of containers, racks, or carts that can be mounted on, or towed behind, the rear end of front-engine lawn tractors, but such assemblies have either been so compact and specialized as to limit the number and type of tools and supplies that can be carried, or at the other extreme, so large and bulky as to decrease the maneuverability of the tractor. Attempts have also been made to design tool boxes for mounting on the front end of front-engine lawn tractors, but these have presented the possibility of interfering with air flow to and from the engine, which could lead to overheating. Tool-carrying assemblies designed specifically for the rear end of rear-engine riding mowers, to the best of the inventor's knowledge, have not previously been designed, possibly because of concerns that extra weight in the back of the tractor could adversely impact the stability of the mower, as well as concerns about interfering with engine cooling and exhaust.
In the case of front-engine lawn tractors with buckets, the buckets themselves can of course be used to carry bulky materials, but elongated items that are longer than the width of the bucket cannot be accommodated. In addition, small, loose items are likely to rattle around in the interior of the bucket, causing irritating and unnecessary noise, and are also at risk of falling out altogether.
Another problem associated with front-loader tractors is that the bucket interferes with the operator's line of sight, making it difficult for the operator to judge the angle at which the bucket is tilted. Various attempts have been made to provide indicator mechanisms that overcome this problem. Examples of such mechanisms can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,604,025 to Hammoud, U.S. Pat. No. 7,430,983 to Hicock et al., U.S. Pat. No. 8,038,380 to Operud, and U.S. Pat. No. 8,205,347 to Friesen. However, the indicators of Hammoud, Hicock et al., and Friesen are somewhat complex devices requiring moving parts and/or electronic components. The indicators disclosed by Operud are simpler, but do not in any way address the problem of limited storage space in and on the vehicle.
Accordingly, it is object of this invention to provide versatile, tractor- or mower-mounted storage assemblies that can accommodate a large variety of tools and supplies, including large, bulky items, as well as long, narrow implements.
A further object of the invention is to provide tractor- or mower-mounted storage assemblies that are relatively compact and lightweight, and do not the adversely impact the stability of vehicle or the cooling ability of the engine.
Still another object of the invention is to provide storage assemblies that can be mounted on the rear end of rear-engine riding mowers and the front end of front-engine lawn tractors.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide material-handling vehicles with bucket storage assemblies that allow additional material, tools and/or supplies to be carried above the top edge of the bucket.
And yet another object of the invention is to provide orientation indicators that enable an operator of a material-handling vehicle to judge the angle at which a front-loader bucket is tilted, while also facilitating storage of additional material, tools, and/or supplies.